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Well this thread struck a cord with people.

But for real, I am tired of brands wasting money on bad creative.

When you are starting a brand, I think you should not outsource your content.

Too many people are drinking the "creator economy" koolaid or the "ugc-only" cocktail without really focusing on how your brand should create content.

A lot of questions I got from this thread was also about organic content.

Y'all, today I am putting you on to the power of organic content and how to build a machine.

And if you are a bigger brand.... most likely you aren't creating a flywheel of content like this, so this is just as valuable at any scale.

1. Create once, distribute seven times

We are in a special place in online media where every platform wants the same thing.

Short-form video.

TikTok, Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Pinterest, and Snapchat.

THEY ALL WANT SHORT-FORM CONTENT.

Of course, each platform has unique things that you can do but for the most part, it is all the same.

This is good for you, because that means you can create one video, and distribute that SAME video to seven other platforms.

Not only is that what the platforms want, it is what consumers want too.

They don't care about your graphics on Instagram like they used to.

Now I am not saying to not create those, but when I see a brand on IG not creating Reels, I can't imagine a quicker fix.

I know, I know - it is isn't easy to create videos... yet, but just a few years, you used to have to create unique content for platforms, and now you don't have to as much.

Capitalize on the consolidation of formats, especially if time and resources are limited.

2. Build content pillars

The reason brands are consistent on creating content online is they have no plan.

But going deeper, it isn't that they don't have a content calendar, but the brand lacks strategy.

Strategy gives you rules and boundaries to come up with ideas and create.

Before you start creating videos, you need to set up content pillars.

These content pillars are themes that you can call upon when thinking about content you should create.

These pillars also help exclude ideas that don't align which is powerful when you have lots of people telling you on what you "should" do.

For a new candle brand launching soon (more on that next month), we are in charge of creating the TikTok content.

Here are the content pillars:

• Product - explain how the candle system works

• Lifestyle - showing life around using a candle like a day in the life or self-care videos

• Candle care - what to do when you're done with the fill, trimming the wick, etc.

• Aesthetic/vibey - something to match the scent, ASMR

• Reactions to the scents - description of the scent

Most people just focus on talking about the product, but people don't want to see ads all the time.

Think about big umbrellas like education, lifestyle, entertainment.

For the candle we have education on the product but also on more general candle care.

We are also trying to get the life around a candle whether that is house design or self-care routines.

We want to do a fun series of scent reactions for the entertainment umbrella.

This is not a founder-led brand, but if you are a founder, you should add a content pillar documenting the brand growth.

You can start to see how you might think about content pillars.

I suggest focusing on 3-5 to start and test.

You might find that some don't do well, and you can adjust over time.

3. Prioritize creating

The field of dreams saying "build it and they will come," is DEAD.

Yes, you need good product and ops, but if you get no traffic to your store, you are dead in the water.

period.

Marketing is the MOST essential part of your business, especially as you are trying to scale.

If we can agree marketing is the most important part of the business, and if video creation is a top priority on all platforms, organic and paid than by simple math, creating videos is the most important part of your business.

That seems crazy to say, but without videos, how are you getting customers?

Right now, this can change later, but RIGHT now, video is the way you can reach people at scale organically.

As a business, this needs to be a priority and your calendar should reflect this.

It is time for you to allocate creating videos.

3. Now Create

Book 2 hours on a Sunday morning.

For each brand pillar, come up with one video idea.

Give yourself 45 minutes to plan the shots, script, and write down any notes.

And then, take 15 minutes to make each video idea.

After 15 minutes, that's it.

Sure maybe you can't film as well right now, but done is better than perfect.

In 2 hours, you have 5 videos.

When you do this next week, you will get better.

And then even better next week.

Keeping the boundary of two hours will force you to create whether you like it or not.

Do this same process for ads

Honestly, most brands should just focus on organic to start to understand messaging, their audience, and content before going into paid.

But once you are at a scale that you are ready to invest into paid media, you should do the same thing 

The most tedious parts of content creation can save you so much time.

Instead of trying to hire a new editor, start by organizing your files.If this newsletter is valuable, it would mean the world to me for you to share it with one friend in marketing.

Keep creating! 

Matthew Gattozzi

PS. The link to Air is an affiliate - they didn't sponsor the newsletter, I just love their product so much that I even gave that talk to their audience for free. I want you to build an efficient process for content creation. Hit me up if you have questions about Air.

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